Lasse Kukkonen

Lasse Juhani Kukkonen (born 18 September 1981) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman, He currently plays for Oulun Kärpät of the Finnish Liiga. He previously played four seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers.\n', ' Kukkonen was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks as their fifth-round pick, 151st overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He played ten National Hockey League games during the 2003–04 NHL season, after which he returned to his hometown Kärpät in the SM-liiga. Kukkonen won the SM-liiga gold medal with Kärpät in 2005.\n', ' In the 2006-07 season, Kukkonen returned to the Chicago Blackhawks and played in 54 games before he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers along with a 3rd round draft pick in a three-way deal with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings on 26 February 2007. With the Flyers, Kukkonen was put on a defensive pairing with Joni Pitkänen, also a native of Oulu. The two were also a pairing for 4 years in Finland. On 17 May 2007 he signed a two-year contract with the Flyers.\n', '